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Forbes estimates the net worth of British musician Paul McCartney, 84, at $1.4 billion, placing the former Beatles member third among the world’s richest musicians, according to an analysis published Monday.
American rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z leads the ranking with an estimated $2.8 billion. Pop singer Taylor Swift follows with an estimated $2 billion.
McCartney rose to global fame with the Beatles in the 1960s before launching a solo career. Forbes attributes his wealth largely to decades of music royalties, songwriting copyrights, concert tours and investments, including real estate and art. McCartney declined to comment on the magazine’s valuation.
MPL Communications, the music publishing company McCartney founded in 1969, is valued at at least $250 million, according to Forbes. His share of Beatles songwriting copyrights generates an estimated $10 million or more a year.
Forbes values those copyrights at at least $200 million. MPL also holds publishing rights to music by other writers, including Buddy Holly, as well as Broadway scores and Christmas standards.
McCartney receives a 25% share of earnings from Apple Corps, the Beatles’ holding company, which Forbes estimates brings in more than $50 million a year from streaming, vinyl sales and merchandise. Ringo Starr and the estates of John Lennon and George Harrison each hold the same share.
Forbes also counts income from touring, including 79 shows on his “Got Back” tour between 2022 and 2025. His holdings include property in the United Kingdom and the Hamptons, a resort area on New York’s Long Island, as well as artworks by Pablo Picasso and Rene Magritte.
The Sunday Times Rich List named McCartney Britain’s first billionaire musician in 2024, a calculation that combined his wealth with his wife Nancy Shevell's.
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